1. Scientists can determine the age of a shark by counting the rings that form on its vertebra, much as you can count the rings on a tree to tell its age. Sharks typically live from 20 to 30 years.
2. Shark skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone, so the hard teeth are the only part that readily becomes a fossil. Learn more about sharks through our Shark Cart activity.
3. Sharks can smell one drop of blood in a million drops of water. Here’s a hands-on science activity that teaches about sharks’ sense of smell.
4. Fewer that 100 people in the world are bitten by sharks each year. Of these, about five die. Last year, 4 people died of shark attacks (that’s worldwide).
5. Up to 100 million sharks are killed by people every year; at least several thousands of those killed are finned—their fins removed with a hot blade, and the sharks dumped back into the sea, where they bleed to death. Shark fins sell for about $300/pound in Asian markets.
Photo: Leopard Sharks in the San Francisco Bay, courtesy of Aquarium of the Bay.